An Ocean of Dreams
by DappledKarma
Summary: A series of oneshots involving the dreams of Mikasa Ackerman, desires and all. Mikasa/Eren.
1. Chapter 1

**As stated in the description, this is going to be a few oneshots involving Mikasa's dreams (and nightmares). Expect some form of Eren X Mikasa eventually. If you like (or dislike) this story, feel free to leave a review telling why, and also feel free to give ideas for the future dreams she'll have. ;)**

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**Dream 1 - Like Lightning**

In this void, only Mikasa and a graveyard of bloody knives covering the ground existed. She shivered, breath visible through the chatter of her teeth. Breathing here was difficult. It felt like every time she exhaled, energy was being sapped out of her body.

Unintelligible voices echoed back and forth inside Mikasa's ears. She couldn't tell if they were outside her mind, or if she was hallucinating.

The voices slowly became clearer, until finally she recognized them, all one in the same; her mother.

_"Mikasa, run! Hurry, Mikasa!"_

_Snap._ Mikasa shuddered at the sound of axe piercing flesh and bone. Flickering lights of images showed themselves to her in the darkness, her father's corpse sitting back against the wooden leg of a table. Her mother thudding against the wooden floor, hand stretched out toward Mikasa, blood gushing out of her shoulder wound and forming a pool. Then the last bit of strength in her eyes fading to nothingness.

Mikasa wanted to close her eyes, look away, do anything other than watch the act, but she couldn't. Her body wouldn't allow it. She tried crying out, but her vocal cords produced no sound, instead drained her of more energy. The muscles in her throat loosened, tired, and her lungs felt like they were shriveling up. A tear skidded down her face as the images ended.

The bloodstained knives in the ground began quivering. Droplets of blood formed from them and, against gravity's will, started rising above Mikasa. They mingled into a single bubble of red towering over the raven-haired girl. The metallic stench it gave off was so strong, she thought she would retch. It pulsated, at first slowly, but soon gained speed until finally bursting into a flood that swallowed up Mikasa.

Unable to fight against it, copper filled her taste buds, iron filled her nostrils, and red became her vision.

_Mom, dad, help me... Eren... Anyone, please..._

As fluid filled her lungs, the weight of her body became too much to handle.

She closed her eyes. _No one can hear me... no use in struggling-_

_"Fight!"_ His voice struck her like lightning. "_Fight!"_ His voice brought her comfort, reassurance, strength. "_Fight!"_ Mikasa opened her eyes. "_You must fight!"_ All the energy she lost found its way surging back into her body, and almost in an instant she was shooting up toward the surface.

_Almost there._

A gasp escaped her lips as she sat up. She was covered in sheets and cold sweat. The air was cool. In the darkness, she barely made out two figures. Sasha and a slightly startled Krista.

"Are you alright, Mikasa?" Krista asked. "You were sweating and breathing hard while you slept."

"Yes, I'm fine." She sighed in relief, though her heart was still racing.

"Would you like some food?" Sasha asked in a whispered voice. "Nothing like a midnight snack. I have a hidden stash of bread, you know."

Krista shook her head, gave her a disapproving look. Then she turned back to Mikasa, who politely declined the offer. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I was just having a bad dream, is all." She thought of Eren's voice and smiled. "Everything's fine now."

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**Hope you enjoyed. :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Beta'd by hokkyokukuu and Queen of Narnia49. Thank you! **

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**Dream 2 - Soothing Shores**

Softness. Warmth. Salty air.

Slowly, Mikasa opened her eyes to the vivid sky. Sunbeams had penetrated through clouds tinted in golden-orange. It left her breathless and almost blinded her too. She shielded her eyes with an arm.

She propped herself up, and the surface felt grainy under her hand. Sand? She sat up. The yellow surface stretched on for what seemed like forever. Back behind the walls, sand was rare. She knew it was used to make glass windows. Here, it could form several hundred castles of glass.

She scooped it into her right hand. It felt fine on her palm, and warm. She let it fall, watched as it sprinkled over her left hand. It was interesting, pleasant. She had never imagined so much sand could even exist in one place.

To her side, where the sand ended, another wonder began: an endless expanse of water, a pool so massive that could swallow up the world if it wanted to. She stood up, in order to take in the whole view. It stretched without limit, all the way to horizon. Glimmering waves swished into the sand before retreating back. Lingering salt filled the air along with a cool breeze.

_It's beautiful, _she thought. She took off her shoes and slipped out of her clothes save her undergarments. She wanted to feel the sand and water against her skin. She took several barefooted steps forward. _Eren, if only you could see this right now._ Nothing more would make her happier than that; him beside her, their hands intertwined as they ran through the shimmering water.

The waves washed over Mikasa's feet. The water was colder than she expected, but it felt good. She closed her eyes and took in the breeze, the repeating waves constantly lapping at her skin.

_Eren, what do you dream of when you sleep? Are your dreams ever about me?_ Likely not, she admitted. If one of his dreams revolved around her, it would be about how he finally overcame her shadow. _A dream like that wouldn't so bad, I suppose._ She could imagine his voice clearly, determined.

_"I'm stronger than you now, Mikasa! I won't ever need to rely on you again!"_

She admired his independence to a certain degree, but she wished he wouldn't run off on his own all the time, leaving her behind. His recklessness, which she disliked greatly, could be compensated by her cautious mind. But, if he hadn't been like that, he wouldn't have been able to save her life back when they were kids.

_If I could show him a world like this, I'm sure he'd stop thinking about his quest for revenge, if even for a moment._

From the corner of her eye, Mikasa caught sight of something vaguely human-shaped falling from the sky, and heading toward the water. She squinted.

Eren. It was Eren falling.

Her heart almost stopped beating, but her brain sent commands to the rest of her body. She rushed through the waves. Eren plunged into the pool, near the shore. Mikasa tried her best to breathe steadily, but the sight of his body drifting made her shaky.

She reached Eren quickly, even though it felt like the longest moment of her life. He was unconscious. She carried him on her back, his head slouching over her shoulder. When they reached the shore she placed his body down on the sand and observed his chest. It was rising and falling at a steady rhythm._ Thank goodness._ Just to be safe she leaned over him and put an ear on his chest. His heartbeat was clear - and it sounded so beautiful. His face was peaceful, as it always had been whenever he slept. It was the only time he ever looked at ease.

Mikasa wished he looked like that awake sometimes but not all the time. She liked his determined face, the way his brow furrowed. That face brought strength to her. Carefully, she placed his head on her lap.

Her fingers ran through his soaked hair. It felt soft. Then she found herself tracing a finger down his face. She quickly pulled it back. What was she thinking? He could wake up at any moment. She couldn't even imagine what Eren would do if he woke to her caressing his face.

"Eren?" Mikasa's voice came out low. "Eren?" She shook him by the shoulder. He continued sleeping soundly. "You have to see this, you won't believe it. This place is amazing."

He didn't respond, but she continued speaking anyway: "Would this place be enough for you, Eren, to forget your revenge?"

The waves quietly lapped back into the shore. They were so soothing. _This should be enough. Your dream has always been to see the world, right?_ Any other time, she wouldn't be able to speak openly to Eren about it due to fear - fear of rejection - but here, now, that didn't matter.

"I wish I were enough for you. I wish you would see me as more than a sister. Don't you get it, Eren? I love you." There, those three words she'd never imagined saying out loud had come out.

Of course, he didn't answer. Was she expecting him to wake up, wrap his arms around her back and tell her the same? Was she expecting a kiss? How foolish_. I'm family to you, nothing more, nothing less. But you mean so much more to me._

Again, Mikasa traced a finger down his face until it settled on his lips. She had longed for them. She was fairly certain he wouldn't wake up from any simple touch. Her heart began beating a little faster. She could do it right now, and no one would ever know. It wasn't like she'd ever get another opportunity for this. She lifted part of his body up so that he was sitting. She began leaning in. _I know I'm being selfish, but let me have this. Just this one time. Nothing will change after this. _His face was getting closer, closer, so close - she backed out. This moment was nerve-racking for Mikasa. She gulped, then tried inhaling to calm her now thumping heart. Now or never. She leaned in. His face neared.

Her lips met his. It was brief, but the moment would be timeless in Mikasa's memory. No, she wanted more, wanted to suck his soul into her body. She went for another kiss until she saw his eyes slowly opening - and a black fog from under him seeping out of the sand. It consumed Eren's body.

"Eren!" The fog spread further atop the sand, in the form of mist-like snakes, in all directions. It spiraled up Mikasa's legs, torso, and neared her neck. Her safety, however, meant little to herself. "Eren!" she screamed out once more.

The darkness partially covered her face.

_This is a dream,_ Mikasa realized. She closed her eyes as the fog invaded her body. _I wonder how it would have gone after Eren saw me..._

When she opened her eyes the fog was gone. The sand and water and clouds were as they should be. Eren was in her arms, awake, staring at her.

"Mikasa?" Eren said. "Why are you so close to my face? And why are you in nothing but underwear?"

Mikasa flushed and backpedaled away from him. She avoided eye contact and curled up, hugging her legs. "You, um, you see, well..." _Was I hallucinating just now? Is this real or fake?_

"This place..." he gasped, big eyes full of astonishment. After hearing that, Mikasa decided whether this world was fake or not didn't matter.

Eren filled his palm with sand, and stood up. His head spun around hastily toward the water, the sky, the surface beneath him. He was like a child trying to take in their surroundings all at once. This was the Eren that Mikasa wanted to see. His gaze settled back on her.

"This is a place Armin and I once saw in a picture book. Fields of sand... a body of salt water... This place is part of the sea!"

"The sea..." Mikasa repeated quietly.

"To see it in a picture and talk about it is one thing, but, damn, it's even more beautiful in person than I could've imagined. Can you feel it and smell it too? There's so much salt in the air."

Mikasa nodded and smiled.

"So this is the outside world - it's amazing!" Eren pumped his fists in the air. "I can't believe it, I can't believe it!" He grinned widely before pulling off his boots. Then he began removing his jacket and shirt.

"You're going in?" Mikasa asked, trying not to stare at his bare chest.

"Of course!" He was in his undergarments now. "Let's go!"

She thought it sweet that he wanted her to join him, but she wanted a little more than that.

"Eren, wait..."

"Come on, what is it?"

"Will you..." Mikasa stood up, fiddled with her fingers. "Hold my hand while we go?"

"What for?"

"I'm scared of the sea," she half-lied. She was scared Eren wouldn't hold her.

"Seriously - what are you, a child? It's water." Eren shook his head. He didn't seem to notice that they were both wet already, or likely didn't care. Either way, it made Mikasa's deception easier to believe. "Tsk, whatever. You can hold my hand." He held one out for her, smiling.

She reached for it, but he retracted his hand.

"Eren!"

"But first you have to catch it!" He grinned and dashed toward the water.

"Wait up!" Mikasa trailed after him, unable to contain a smile.

Eren ran into an incoming wave. "W-wow, that's cold! It ain't stopping me, though." He started swimming.

Mikasa, being the athletic soldier she was, caught up to him in moments and grabbed his right hand. If not for this spectacular place, Eren would have been disappointed by how quickly she reached him, but his mind seemed focused on enjoying the moment.

"No fair!" He splashed water at her face with his free hand.

Mikasa laughed and did the same thing. She wished life could be like this everyday. Here the world was beautiful; _only_ beautiful. No cruelty, no desperation, no death, no attempts to overcome impossible odds.

After their playful splashing, they decided to take in the quietness of the deeper part of the sea.

"Not so scary, huh?" Eren asked.

"Yeah." She watched the passing clouds. "Don't you wish our lives could be like this all the time?"

He seemed almost taken aback, if his silence was any indication. All this scenery had distracted him enough to forget about the cruel world they lived in. Perhaps asking him wasn't a good idea.

"I do," he finally answered. "This is the world we were born into. We should, by rights, be able to explore it without living in fear all the time. I wonder how we got here."

"Maybe you and I are the last people in the world," Mikasa joked, although she wouldn't mind if it was true.

Eren took it seriously. "Don't say that. That'd be terrible. My goal to exterminate the Titans would be for nothing, if we were the last two people alive."

"Would it be so bad? Us alone, stuck together, as always." _That's all I've ever wanted._

"It does feel like we're constantly together," he said in a tone that Mikasa thought was almost bitter.

Mikasa frowned. "Sorry for asking-"

"I do wonder sometimes, you know, what a world free of Titans would be like. I wonder if my mother and your parents would be alive. I wonder how different my friendships would be. I wonder if you and I would be closer or less close or not know each other at all, even."

"Eren..." She held on tight to his hand and laid her head on his shoulder briefly. He didn't mind at all. This place brought a new side to him that she liked. "I would love a world like that. And I'm sure we'd be as close as we already are."

They floated there, in a comfortable, thoughtful silence, for a minute.

Then Eren said, "I'd like my hand back now, if you don't mind."

"Okay." She had come this far with him. Going further wouldn't hurt. And it was only a dream after all, wasn't it? "On one condition."

"Payback for earlier, eh? I don't think I like where this is going."

"Close your eyes. And promise me you won't back out of what I'm going to do." Mikasa's heartbeat increased.

"Why-"

"Do it or your hand forever belongs to me." Her heart beat faster.

"Fine fine, I promise." He did so. "Okay, now what?"

"Shush. Listen to the sound. The whispers of the air and the sea." The wind was singing a soft tune, the waves were gushing in and out. She wanted him to take in everything. "They're lovely, don't you think?"

"Definitely," he said, eyes still closed.

"There's something I've wanted to do for a long time." Her heart was racing. She didn't know how Eren would react, but that didn't matter, he made her a promise.

"Huh?" Eren asked. Mikasa's body brushed against his. The sensation of their skin touching made her hairs stand on end. The blood in her cheeks began flowing. She neared his face and closed her eyes. "What're you doing?"

She kissed him. It was like magic, the way their lips connected so easily. His lips were warmer and softer than they had been when he was unconscious. Mikasa's chest was against Eren's chest, the beating of their hearts intertwining. She could hear the uneasiness of his heartbeat pounding as hard as hers, but, as promised, Eren didn't retreat. His breaths were unsteady, warm, sweet. Mikasa slid her hands up the sides of his arms, then his shoulders, and then his cheeks.

_This world is beautiful; only beautiful._

As much as she wanted to continue, Mikasa knew all things beautiful withered away in some time. She opened her eyes and backed off.

Eren's blue-green eyes were larger than usual. He tried speaking, but the words jumbling out of his mouth came out as unintelligible noise. Mikasa giggled. Her heart was still beating, so fast. But it felt good. The tension in her muscles was disappearing.

"Well? Did you like my one condition?" Mikasa somehow found herself asking, smiling.

Eren gulped, cleared his throat. "It ah, it was... good. What was that all about?"

She wrapped her arms around his back and buried the side of her face on his clavicle. Any doubts she had earlier were gone completely. She answered his question with a question.

"Do you love me, Eren?"

"What? What's with you? You're acting strange!"

"Do you?"

His eyes darted towards the sky, but Mikasa gazed at his nervous lips, intent on getting an answer. "I-"

Before he could continue, a massive wave swallowed the boy and girl.

When Mikasa emerged from it, she found herself back in the confines of the girls' barracks. It was early morning, by the looks of it. She sighed a happy sigh. She wasn't disappointed that the dream didn't continue. It was good enough. If she desired an answer that badly, she could always ask the Eren that existed in reality. She smiled.

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"Are you sure you want me to come at you?" Eren asked Mikasa, wooden knife in hand.

"Yes, I'm sure. You don't have to hold back."

All around trainees were practicing hand-to-hand combat. Mikasa had managed to pry away Eren from Annie's ruthless prowess. This was her big chance. Even if Eren would answer her question in a way that suggested he did, but in a family kind of way, that would be alright with Mikasa. Hearing Eren say he loved her in any way would bring joy to her heart.

He charged toward her, the wooden knife pointing her way but she caught both his wrists.

Eren sighed. "I'm not surprised at all. Though I'm happy that you didn't flip me over, unlike a certain someone." He glared in Annie's general direction.

Mikasa's grip on his wrists was somewhat lacking. Her hands trembled slightly. Earlier she had tried assuring herself that she would stay calm when this moment happened. It failed. Still, she held onto his wrists weakly until he said, "Can you let go of me now?"

Mikasa swallowed. She held on strong, leaned closer to him and brought her lips near his ear. "E-Eren," she whispered.

"Yeah? Are you feeling okay?"

"Do you love me?"

She blushed.


End file.
